Truck explodes on the M1 at Loganholme, near Brisbane, shaking nearby homes
Updated
A truck carrying chemicals has exploded and burst into flames on the M1 at Loganholme, south of Brisbane.
Police said the tanker, which was carrying hydrochloric acid, was on the M1 near the southbound exit of the motorway on Bryants Road, opposite the Logan Hyperdome.
Southbound lanes of the M1 reopened late on Friday afternoon after being closed for hours.
Drivers heading north had also experienced delays.
Firefighters put out the blaze, but the authorities advised nearby businesses to evacuate.
Police declared an emergency situation for a one-kilometre radius of the crash site, but lifted the restrictions late Friday afternoon.
Acting Fire Inspector Jed Crosby said it was a miracle the driver got out and no-one was hurt.
"We'll be putting bi-carb soda where the chemical has been spilled to neutralise the acid," he said earlier in the day.
"There could also be some damage to the bitumen, but we'll only be able to inspect it once the scene's been cleared.
"Any chemical in that volume, particularly 15,000 litres, definitely has the potential to cause a major incident — the incident could have been a lot worse."
The State Government had removed the tolls from the Logan Motorway to allow people to drive the long way around the incident.
The Logan Hyperdome remained open, but the Officeworks building on Bryants Road beside the M1 was evacuated.
Residents have told the ABC they heard at least half a dozen explosions.
ABC reporter Francis Tapim, who lives nearby, said he felt the explosion.
"I got up and there was about five or six explosions that literally just shook my house, my little brick house," he said.
"No-one is getting through [on the M1] and I feel sorry for the people who are stuck behind this accident at the moment, because they can't get off the freeway — they're going to be there for hours."
Topics: road, accidents, disasters-and-accidents, loganholme-4129, qld, australia, brisbane-4000
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